Orchestras: A Leader of Equals

Conductor William Steinberg is a threat to American musical tradition.
For one thing, he is downright chummy with his Pittsburgh Symphony
musicians. For another, he blatantly delights in performing "the music
nobody wants to play, nobody wants to conduct and nobody wants to
hear." The traditional image of the success ful symphony conductor
is a shaggy-haired despot who rules with an iron fist and remains
disdainfully aloof at all times. But Steinberg treats his musicians
with courtesy and respect, regales them with a rich sense of humor,
rides in the bus with...